Is your kitchen crammed with tools and appliances you rarely put to use? Give them a new job: cocktails! Sure, your French press was meant for making coffee — not sangria — but it’s actually perfect for whipping up the latter.
Here’s a recipe for doing just that — and three more hacks for using common appliances to put fresh twists on summer sippers.
Be naughty with your NutriBullet!

“It’s easier to use than a juicer and there’s much less cleanup,” he says. “It’s great to take to a barbecue for on-site cocktails.” Here’s a colorful drink that’s perfect for backyard soirees.
Kiss by the sun
Make it: Blend 2 medium carrots and a 2-inch piece of peeled ginger in the NutriBullet. Dilute 2 tablespoons of honey in two tablespoons of water and add to NutriBullet, along with 8 ounces pisco and 3 ounces fresh lemon juice. Blend and serve in a coupe or martini glass. If desired, rim glasses with wasabi sesame seeds (available at Kalustyan’s, 123 Lexington Ave.). Serves four.
Get silly with your SodaStream!

“Summer makes me feel effervescent, but I can only take so much Champagne and Prosecco, and only a few wine stores carry Lambrusco, a slightly fizzy Italian red wine.”
Tosi’s solution is to make an ad hoc version with her SodaStream. “It’s incredibly refreshing,” she says.
A la minute ‘brusco
Make it: Take 1 bottle of cheap red wine, preferably chilled. Fill the bottle of your soda maker to the designated line and carbonate to desired fizziness. Pour into wine glasses. Serves four. From Tosi’s cookbook, “Milk Bar Life,” Clarkson Potter, 2015
Brew a great mixer with your Keurig!

Chai thai iced tea
Make it: Brew your favorite chai tea K-Cup, let it cool and pour over ice. Add 2 ounces of aged rum like Bacardi 8 or Appleton and stir. Serves one.
Use your french press for a different buzz!

Pomegranate-raspberry sangria
Make it: Put 6 basil leaves in a large French press and lightly muddle them with a muddler tool or wooden spoon. Add 375 milliliters vodka, 375 milliliters of white wine (half a bottle), 1 cup orange juice, 1 cup pomegranate juice and stir. Insert depressor and slowly press down. Chill in refrigerator for a minimum of two hours, or, if desired, add chopped seasonal fruit and let infuse overnight with depressor up. When ready to use, pour over ice in a wine glass. Garnish each glass with a floating orange wheel, raspberries and 1 basil leaf. Serves 12.
Shake it up in a jam jar!

“It’s an ideal brunch cocktail,” says Farrington.
Jam-Jar Cocktail
Make it: Mix a 2 ounce shot of rum or gin and about a tablespoon of your favorite jam in a small glass jar. Add ice and 1 ounce citrus juice if you have it. Put jar lid on securely and shake vigorously for 20 to 30 seconds or until the jam is fully incorporated into the drink. Garnish with a few mint leaves. Serves 1.